Godzilla Movies

Godzilla , King of the Monsters

The legend of Godzilla starts here. A mysterious monster is destroying ships and island villiages in the Pacific Ocean. A Japanese island and his freinds investigate, and soon find out that a giant aquatic dinosaur is heading for Tokyo. The monster, named Godzilla after an old legend, arrives in Tokyo Bay and begins making nightly raids into the city. All military might is useless, but there may be a scientist who has an invention that can save Japan. Moody, and meticulously made, Godzilla set the bar for all monster movies that followed. And there were a lot.

Versions: The American version deleted quite a lot of material and inserted copious footage of Raymond Burr pretending to talk to the original Japanese actors. This cut is widely available in the US. The original Japanese cut may be found at Video Daikaiju.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo, Barry's Temple of Godzilla.

Godzilla Raids Again

In his second outing Godzilla fights another giant dinosaur, this one called Anguirus. This movie started the trend of pitting Godzilla against other giant monsters, but otherwise it isn't an improvement over Godzilla, King of the Monsters.

King Kong vs. Godzilla

A turning point in the evolution of our favorite radioactive dinosaur, King Kong vs. Godzilla marks the beginning of such movies as elaborate, colorful fantasy romps instead of dark, brooding disaster films. The plot is pure puff pastry: Corporation sends expedition to remote island to harvest rare berries. Expedition finds berries, island natives, and King Kong. Expedition brings back berries and Kong as a souvenir.

Of course, Kong gets loose and begins loping around Japan, much to the consternation of Godzilla, who has chosen the exact same minute to do the exact same thing. Rather than playing together and making mankind miserable, they proceed to tear hell out of one another. One might think it would be a lopsided match -- one whiff of Godzilla's fire breath should set the big fuzzball alight -- but the odds are evened when it turns out that Kong thrives on electric current, while the big G can't stand the stuff. Good, goofy fun, even when watching the butchered U.S. cut, which removes large portions of dialogue and plot.

Note: despite what you may have heard or read elsewhere, there are no "alternate endings" for this film. A more complete examination of the rumors regarding different outcomes from the King Kong / Godzilla deathmatch can be found at the Urban Legends Reference Pages.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster

King Ghidorah falls to earth and can only be opposed by three already established monsters: Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan. This sprawling story has destruction, huge battles, and lots of spy intrigue. It also has a hilarious real-sounding-but-made-up country called Selgina and conversation between the various monsters, who can understand each other's roars.

Godzilla vs. Mothra

Probably the Godzilla film. Mothra's egg washes ashore in Japan, causing a general ruckas as the Cosmos Twins, a greedy tycoon and Mothra herself try to posess it in one way or another. And then Godzilla shows up, just to ruin everybody's day. The special effects in this installment of the the series would not be equalled until the 1990s.

Versions: The American version is largely the same as the Japanese version. It even includes an extra scene of the U. S. Navy shooting missiles at Godzilla. It's currently out on DVD and video from Classic Media. The Japanese version can be found on video.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo, Barry's Temple of Godzilla.

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero

Aliens offer to help us with our monster problems by taking Godzilla and Rodan to their planet to fight King Ghidorah. The twist is pretty easy to predict these days, of course. The aliens are lying and soon all three monsters, under alien control, are trashing Japan.

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero is pretty silly by any standard, but it is fun. You have to love the aliens' fashion sense and light-up saucers. There's more than enough monster action, and the cast features lots of faces familiar to anyone who watches Japanese fantasy.

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster

Spunky dance contestants find themselves aboard a hijacked boat while searching for a friend lost at sea. The boat has been stolen by a bank robber on the lam, but at least he’s useful when they stumble upon a mysterious island whose natives have been enslaved by a terrorist syndicate! Godzilla and Mothra guest-star in this campy tale of intrigue which also happens to feature a giant shrimp monster that does the terrorists’ bidding. Classic ‘60s story and style.

Those of us with a weakness for giant monsters will find this a particularly enjoyable film, despite the ruinous condition of the Godzilla suit and the fact that Godzilla's presence kind of takes a back seat to the human action. Recommended for those parties when the non-initiated ask to see a Godzilla movie.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Son of Godzilla

Godzilla finally has a reason to smoke! On a remote island scientists find Godzilla and new member of his species, recently hatched from a egg. The scientists run some weather experiments which result in giant insects that threaten the other monsters. No city stomping in this one, but the giant insect puppets are very impressive.

Destroy All Monsters

Destroy All Monsters was probably the last great Godzilla movie. In the year 1999, all of the world's monsters have been imprisoned on one island. Aliens release the monsters and demand all governments surrender to them. Earth's scientists release the monsters from alien control, but the aliens retaliate by unleashing King Ghidorah. The climactic monster battle is the most ambitious kaiju scene ever filmed.

Godzilla's Revenge

All the monster action in this movie takes place in one little kid's dream. He dreams that he flies to Monster Island, meets Minilla and helps him overcome a monster called Gabra. Then the kid applies the lessons he learned to the real world.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah

From this film's opening minutes, which feature the wacky '60s theme song, "Save the Earth," you just know you're not in for a normal sort of Godzilla movie. The storytelling methods here border on hallucinogenic, but the movie does include everybody's favorite short-pantsed hero Kenny. This is one of Kenny's finer moments, as he not only predicts the movements of Godzilla, but also directs a scientist in his work to destroy Hedorah, a monster whose job is apparently to spread pollution across the planet. Not looked upon kindly by Godzilla purists, it features scenes of Godzilla flying under his own power, an environmentalist cartoon, and some bizarre split-screen techniques.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla vs. Gigan

For the umpteenth time aliens try to take over Earth, but this time they try to do it with an amusement park with a tower in the shape of Godzilla. This fails. So they go to their backup plan, which is Gigan and King Ghidorah. Meanwhile on Monster Island, Godzilla talks Anguirus into heading to Japan and kicking the two space monsters' butts.

The human element of this film is particularly poor, as it presents us with a cartoonist as the hero, includes some atrocious acting, and forces us to endure even more atrocious wardrobe. The monster action isn't bad, exactly, but by this movie the Godzilla suit in question had been through three outings and pieces of it fly off during some of the battles. Another cause of some disappointment is the fact that most of Ghidorah's scenes are compiled of stock footage from other movies.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla vs. Megalon

Godzilla vs. Megalon has many of the hallmarks of the Godzilla series: a goofy monster against whom Godzilla must fight, a little boy whom we'll call Kenny, and the gullible adults who take little Kenny so seriously that they actually believe his half-baked theories about Godzilla's motives. Unfortunately, it also has the ridiculous Jet Jaguar, an Ultraman-like robot who can not only turn his own artificial intelligence on and off, but can also "program himself in some way to increase in size."

Even that wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the film's underwhelming production values and the fact that it plays out like a toy commercial. Oh yeah, there's some plot or another about the Seatopians, who want to wipe out we surface dwellers, but you'll probably be distracted by the googly-eyed Godzilla suit, which keeps changing shape during footage from the previous film, Godzilla vs Gigan. Let this be one of the last Godzilla movies you watch, so you can hug yourself and think of happier times, when Godzilla movies were something you enjoyed.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Zone Fighter [TV Series, 1973]

Alien super heroes, disguised as the race car driving Sakamori family, defend earth from Garonga and his monster army. Zone Fighter was just another Ultraman rip-off, more juvenile than most, but it was produced by Toho. This meant that the TV series could draw from Toho's stable of film monsters, so Godzilla was in five episodes, Gigan appeared in one, and King Ghidorah appeared in another two.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

If you have fond memories of watching Godzilla movies on tv on Saturday afternoons, then Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla is probably one of the films you saw. Released in the States in 1977 with an awful English dub, this movie is the stuff of which surrealistic memories are made. With the ridiculous story, hokey props, bizarre special effects, and the surprise bonus monsters hidden inside, we almost reached Godzilla Heaven with this tape in our VCR.

Part spy flick, part alien invasion movie, part Godzilla film, Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla is all about style over substance. The dialogue is ridiculous, the plot too laughable to mention, and the acting is way over the top. But it's almost guaranteed to fascinate anyone who walks into the room during a screening.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Terror of Mechagodzilla

Ishiro Honda returns to the Godzilla director's chair after a five year absence (he was dabbling in Zone Fighter and Ultraman episodes), bringing with him some of the class and professionalism that was missing from the series during its long, slow decline. Unfortunately, not even Honda's return could keep this film from being irrepressibly silly, nor from being the last installment in the original run of Godzilla films.

Silver-jumpsuited aliens take control of a new monster, Titanosaurus, as well as the newly-rebuilt Mechagodzilla, by installing monster control mechanisms inside a dying young human woman. If you can help us make any sense out of that, we'd be very grateful. But then, what would you expect from aliens who wear the goofiest helmets you've seen this side of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet?

Godzilla arrives to kick monster ass and take monster names, and to the film's credit, it relies very little on stock footage and actually delivers on the goods. Helping things along considerably is the fact that venerable composer Akira Ifukabe returned one last time to provide the big G with his stompin' tunes. As the swan song for the original Godzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla is a worthy time-waster.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla 1985

Godzilla's big comeback movie after the demise of the original series of films is unfortunately irrepressibly boring. After a thirty year absence Godzilla returns, stomps through Tokyo, and is opposed by Japanese super science, represented mainly by the flying saucer Super-X. The robotic monster used in some shots had some innovative animatronics, but ultimately the human element of the story was too slow to please audiences. The fact that Godzilla spends half the film unconscious doesn't help. As with the original movie, scenes with a (much larger) Raymond Burr were added after the fact for American audiences. The film also took some criticism for its blatant product placements for Dr. Pepper cola.

Godzilla vs. Biollante

For the first movie in 15 years where Godzilla fights another monster his opponent is... a giant rose?! A scientist crosses Godzilla's cells with that of a flower bush and, as you might expect, the resulting crime against nature is possessed by the scientist's dead daughter and grows to gigantic proportions. It sounds silly, but this movie is pretty somber in tone and has some good monster action. Biollante is an inspired design in both her incarnations.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

Godzilla and King Ghidorah are both given revamped origin in this, their first solo match. People from the future come back to the present day, saying they want to "uncreate" Godzilla. They take a journalist back to WWII to find the dinosaur that will be Godzilla and move him out of the way of the atomic bomb that will mutate him into an monster. But it's a double-cross, and the future people actually create King Ghidorah to subjugate Japan in the present. Luckily, Godzilla was created anyway, bigger and meaner.

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth

Toho resurrected their second most popular monster in what was their most successful Heisei film. An archeologist is hired by a heartless tycoon to go to a remote island and find a lost civilization. He succeeds, though the whole civilization consists of a giant insect and two six inch tall psychic twins. Then an evil version of Mothra called Batra makes the scene. A fun movie, though so much is going on that Godzilla is pushed into the background.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

The Heisei Godzilla never featured aliens, so this version of Mechagodzilla was built by the japanese to defend their country against the nearly constant attacks of Godzilla. Also in this film are a new version of Rodan, and Baby Godzilla, another member of Godzilla's species that would feature in the next two films.

Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla

Godzilla fights his evil doppelganger from space. Spacegodzilla is a fairly spectacular design, and the filmmakers have given him lots of powers, but the monster action is so slackly edited boredom results. There's also a human subplot about gangsters who want to use Godzilla to blackmail the Japanese government.

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah

This movie was promoted as the death of Godzilla, which it technically is. But you didn't really think Toho would just give up the beloved series, right?

A new monster, Destroyah, is spawned from prehistoric mites mutated by the oxygen destroyer that killed Godzilla back in 1954. (No explanation is given as to whether the current Godzilla is a different monster, or if he survived somehow.) The new monster attacks Japan at the same time Godzilla is building towards a nuculear meltdown from the energy he contains. In some ways this movie is a fitting conclusion to the series, with some great effects and monster fights. But the ending sets up a new series of films that never came.

Godzilla

Godzilla is given the big budget treatment, courtesy of the guys who made Independence Day. An iguana is irradiated by radiation, then attacks New York City. Easily the best special effects of any Godzilla movie, shame about the script.

Godzilla 2000

Godzilla returns! Too bad the movie doesn't get good until the last few scenes. Godzilla is a constant threat to Japan, so much so that people make their living tracking him. When a UFO found on the ocean bottom is exposed to sunlight it coes to life and heads straight for Godzilla. Soon Japan has to deal with the twin threat of a pissed off monster and an enigmatic alien craft. The climax is a fight between Godzilla and Orga, the monster the UFO evolves into.

Versions: There are an American and Japanese version of this film, both available on DVD.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo, Barry's Temple of Godzilla.

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus

Godzilla lore diverges into yet another alternate version of G-history. When Japan starts testing a new form of "clean energy" to power its cities, Godzilla shows up to trample it from existence. The special corps of Godzilla fighters (code named G-Grasper, probably the worst name for an anti-Godzilla team yet) decide to retaliate by hiring a few crackpots to create a weapon that can (get this) shoot artificial black holes. What could go wrong with that plan?

When G-Grasper tests this weapon, however, they open a portal to a dimension inhabited by giant beasty insect things, which promptly escape into the sewer system and begin to breed by the thousands. Before you can say "super size me," the insects (called Meganuron in an apparent nod to Rodan), attack Godzilla, and then combine to become Megaguirus. Much ass-kicking takes place, some of which recalls the sillier kaiju antics of films like Godzilla vs Monster Zero or Godzilla vs Gigan. This isn't exactly Godzilla's finest hour, but it's a passable waste of time for G-fans looking for their next fix.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla , Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

It's a giant monster jamboree! In this new continuity Godzilla attacks Japan after leaving the island alone for nearly fifty years. His reappearance triggers the return of Japan's guardians; Mothra, Baragon and Ghidorah!

Despite bringing some of the most vibrant incarnations of the classic Godzilla monsters to the screen, director Shusuke Kaneko was unable to give the same life to this series as he did to Gamera in the 1990s. Although the "mystical guardians" element puts an interesting spin on the old characters, it makes one wonder if Kaneko has any other plot ideas. We can see the reasons for casting Godzilla as the villain, but after so many years of rooting for him, it feels kind of weird.

Still, GMK features some of the scariest Godzilla moments we've seen in a long time (especially the kitchen sequence), and some of the slickest giant monster battles yet. Definitely worth watching.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla

After a new Godzilla attacks Japan the Japanese government builds a giant robot Godzilla to contain the threat. For some reason they build the robot's control system with Godzilla DNA recovered from the original monster, with predictably disastrous results. The monster action in this movie is fast and furious, but the humans are deadly boring.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

As Japan prepares Mechagodzilla for another assault on Godzilla, the Cosmos twins ask Japan to scrap the robot so the original Godzilla's bones can rest in piece. Instead, they offer Mothra to fight Godzilla if he appears again.

This move features some of the best monster action of the series yet, though trying to figure out what's going on with the humans can be challenging. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. is a direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002), and features a cameo by the turtle from Yog: Monster from Space (1970).

Godzilla: Final Wars

Allegedly the last Godzilla movie for the foreseeable future, Godzilla: Final Wars is a big budget blow-out with Godzilla and twelve other monsters.It was supposed to be in honor of the 50th anniversary of Godzilla (1954) but it's more in line with the 30th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) in terms of goofy tone.

Giant monsters appear all over the world, overwhelming the Earth Defense Forces. Earth's salvation comes in the form of aliens from Planet X, who make all the monsters disappear and warn humanity that an astral body called Gorath is on a collision course with our planet. Are the aliens sincere? Of course not! When the aliens' true motives are uncovered the only force on earth that can stand up to them is Godzilla!

Among the classic monsters appearing (at least briefly) are Anguirus, Ebirah, Gigan, Hedorah, Kamacuras, King Seesar, Kumonga, Manda, Minilla, Mothra, and Rodan. There's also a new monster called Monster X which is revealed to be a new version of King Ghidorah.